2
GNU LESSER GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
3
Version 2.1, February 1999
5
Copyright (C) 1991, 1999 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
6
51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA
7
Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies
8
of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.
10
[This is the first released version of the Lesser GPL. It also counts
11
as the successor of the GNU Library Public License, version 2, hence
12
the version number 2.1.]
16
The licenses for most software are designed to take away your
17
freedom to share and change it. By contrast, the GNU General Public
18
Licenses are intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change
19
free software--to make sure the software is free for all its users.
21
This license, the Lesser General Public License, applies to some
22
specially designated software packages--typically libraries--of the
23
Free Software Foundation and other authors who decide to use it. You
24
can use it too, but we suggest you first think carefully about whether
25
this license or the ordinary General Public License is the better
26
strategy to use in any particular case, based on the explanations
29
When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom of use,
30
not price. Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that
31
you have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge
32
for this service if you wish); that you receive source code or can get
33
it if you want it; that you can change the software and use pieces of
34
it in new free programs; and that you are informed that you can do
37
To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid
38
distributors to deny you these rights or to ask you to surrender these
39
rights. These restrictions translate to certain responsibilities for
40
you if you distribute copies of the library or if you modify it.
42
For example, if you distribute copies of the library, whether gratis
43
or for a fee, you must give the recipients all the rights that we gave
44
you. You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the source
45
code. If you link other code with the library, you must provide
46
complete object files to the recipients, so that they can relink them
47
with the library after making changes to the library and recompiling
48
it. And you must show them these terms so they know their rights.
50
We protect your rights with a two-step method: (1) we copyright the
51
library, and (2) we offer you this license, which gives you legal
52
permission to copy, distribute and/or modify the library.
54
To protect each distributor, we want to make it very clear that
55
there is no warranty for the free library. Also, if the library is
56
modified by someone else and passed on, the recipients should know
57
that what they have is not the original version, so that the original
58
author's reputation will not be affected by problems that might be
61
Finally, software patents pose a constant threat to the existence of
62
any free program. We wish to make sure that a company cannot
63
effectively restrict the users of a free program by obtaining a
64
restrictive license from a patent holder. Therefore, we insist that
65
any patent license obtained for a version of the library must be
66
consistent with the full freedom of use specified in this license.
68
Most GNU software, including some libraries, is covered by the
69
ordinary GNU General Public License. This license, the GNU Lesser
70
General Public License, applies to certain designated libraries, and
71
is quite different from the ordinary General Public License. We use
72
this license for certain libraries in order to permit linking those
73
libraries into non-free programs.
75
When a program is linked with a library, whether statically or using
76
a shared library, the combination of the two is legally speaking a
77
combined work, a derivative of the original library. The ordinary
78
General Public License therefore permits such linking only if the
79
entire combination fits its criteria of freedom. The Lesser General
80
Public License permits more lax criteria for linking other code with
83
We call this license the "Lesser" General Public License because it
84
does Less to protect the user's freedom than the ordinary General
85
Public License. It also provides other free software developers Less
86
of an advantage over competing non-free programs. These disadvantages
87
are the reason we use the ordinary General Public License for many
88
libraries. However, the Lesser license provides advantages in certain
89
special circumstances.
91
For example, on rare occasions, there may be a special need to
92
encourage the widest possible use of a certain library, so that it
94
a de-facto standard. To achieve this, non-free programs must be
95
allowed to use the library. A more frequent case is that a free
96
library does the same job as widely used non-free libraries. In this
97
case, there is little to gain by limiting the free library to free
98
software only, so we use the Lesser General Public License.
100
In other cases, permission to use a particular library in non-free
101
programs enables a greater number of people to use a large body of
102
free software. For example, permission to use the GNU C Library in
103
non-free programs enables many more people to use the whole GNU
104
operating system, as well as its variant, the GNU/Linux operating
107
Although the Lesser General Public License is Less protective of the
108
users' freedom, it does ensure that the user of a program that is
109
linked with the Library has the freedom and the wherewithal to run
110
that program using a modified version of the Library.
112
The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and
113
modification follow. Pay close attention to the difference between a
114
"work based on the library" and a "work that uses the library". The
115
former contains code derived from the library, whereas the latter must
116
be combined with the library in order to run.
118
GNU LESSER GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
119
TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION
121
0. This License Agreement applies to any software library or other
122
program which contains a notice placed by the copyright holder or
123
other authorized party saying it may be distributed under the terms of
124
this Lesser General Public License (also called "this License").
125
Each licensee is addressed as "you".
127
A "library" means a collection of software functions and/or data
128
prepared so as to be conveniently linked with application programs
129
(which use some of those functions and data) to form executables.
131
The "Library", below, refers to any such software library or work
132
which has been distributed under these terms. A "work based on the
133
Library" means either the Library or any derivative work under
134
copyright law: that is to say, a work containing the Library or a
135
portion of it, either verbatim or with modifications and/or translated
136
straightforwardly into another language. (Hereinafter, translation is
137
included without limitation in the term "modification".)
139
"Source code" for a work means the preferred form of the work for
140
making modifications to it. For a library, complete source code means
141
all the source code for all modules it contains, plus any associated
142
interface definition files, plus the scripts used to control
144
and installation of the library.
146
Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not
147
covered by this License; they are outside its scope. The act of
148
running a program using the Library is not restricted, and output from
149
such a program is covered only if its contents constitute a work based
150
on the Library (independent of the use of the Library in a tool for
151
writing it). Whether that is true depends on what the Library does
152
and what the program that uses the Library does.
154
1. You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Library's
155
complete source code as you receive it, in any medium, provided that
156
you conspicuously and appropriately publish on each copy an
157
appropriate copyright notice and disclaimer of warranty; keep intact
158
all the notices that refer to this License and to the absence of any
159
warranty; and distribute a copy of this License along with the
162
You may charge a fee for the physical act of transferring a copy,
163
and you may at your option offer warranty protection in exchange for a
166
2. You may modify your copy or copies of the Library or any portion
167
of it, thus forming a work based on the Library, and copy and
168
distribute such modifications or work under the terms of Section 1
169
above, provided that you also meet all of these conditions:
171
a) The modified work must itself be a software library.
173
b) You must cause the files modified to carry prominent notices
174
stating that you changed the files and the date of any change.
176
c) You must cause the whole of the work to be licensed at no
177
charge to all third parties under the terms of this License.
179
d) If a facility in the modified Library refers to a function or a
180
table of data to be supplied by an application program that uses
181
the facility, other than as an argument passed when the facility
182
is invoked, then you must make a good faith effort to ensure that,
183
in the event an application does not supply such function or
184
table, the facility still operates, and performs whatever part of
185
its purpose remains meaningful.
187
(For example, a function in a library to compute square roots has
188
a purpose that is entirely well-defined independent of the
189
application. Therefore, Subsection 2d requires that any
190
application-supplied function or table used by this function must
191
be optional: if the application does not supply it, the square
192
root function must still compute square roots.)
194
These requirements apply to the modified work as a whole. If
195
identifiable sections of that work are not derived from the Library,
196
and can be reasonably considered independent and separate works in
197
themselves, then this License, and its terms, do not apply to those
198
sections when you distribute them as separate works. But when you
199
distribute the same sections as part of a whole which is a work based
200
on the Library, the distribution of the whole must be on the terms of
201
this License, whose permissions for other licensees extend to the
202
entire whole, and thus to each and every part regardless of who wrote
205
Thus, it is not the intent of this section to claim rights or contest
206
your rights to work written entirely by you; rather, the intent is to
207
exercise the right to control the distribution of derivative or
208
collective works based on the Library.
210
In addition, mere aggregation of another work not based on the Library
211
with the Library (or with a work based on the Library) on a volume of
212
a storage or distribution medium does not bring the other work under
213
the scope of this License.
215
3. You may opt to apply the terms of the ordinary GNU General Public
216
License instead of this License to a given copy of the Library. To do
217
this, you must alter all the notices that refer to this License, so
218
that they refer to the ordinary GNU General Public License, version 2,
219
instead of to this License. (If a newer version than version 2 of the
220
ordinary GNU General Public License has appeared, then you can specify
221
that version instead if you wish.) Do not make any other change in
224
Once this change is made in a given copy, it is irreversible for
225
that copy, so the ordinary GNU General Public License applies to all
226
subsequent copies and derivative works made from that copy.
228
This option is useful when you wish to copy part of the code of
229
the Library into a program that is not a library.
231
4. You may copy and distribute the Library (or a portion or
232
derivative of it, under Section 2) in object code or executable form
233
under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above provided that you accompany
234
it with the complete corresponding machine-readable source code, which
235
must be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a
236
medium customarily used for software interchange.
238
If distribution of object code is made by offering access to copy
239
from a designated place, then offering equivalent access to copy the
240
source code from the same place satisfies the requirement to
241
distribute the source code, even though third parties are not
242
compelled to copy the source along with the object code.
244
5. A program that contains no derivative of any portion of the
245
Library, but is designed to work with the Library by being compiled or
246
linked with it, is called a "work that uses the Library". Such a
247
work, in isolation, is not a derivative work of the Library, and
248
therefore falls outside the scope of this License.
250
However, linking a "work that uses the Library" with the Library
251
creates an executable that is a derivative of the Library (because it
252
contains portions of the Library), rather than a "work that uses the
253
library". The executable is therefore covered by this License.
254
Section 6 states terms for distribution of such executables.
256
When a "work that uses the Library" uses material from a header file
257
that is part of the Library, the object code for the work may be a
258
derivative work of the Library even though the source code is not.
259
Whether this is true is especially significant if the work can be
260
linked without the Library, or if the work is itself a library. The
261
threshold for this to be true is not precisely defined by law.
263
If such an object file uses only numerical parameters, data
264
structure layouts and accessors, and small macros and small inline
265
functions (ten lines or less in length), then the use of the object
266
file is unrestricted, regardless of whether it is legally a derivative
267
work. (Executables containing this object code plus portions of the
268
Library will still fall under Section 6.)
270
Otherwise, if the work is a derivative of the Library, you may
271
distribute the object code for the work under the terms of Section 6.
272
Any executables containing that work also fall under Section 6,
273
whether or not they are linked directly with the Library itself.
275
6. As an exception to the Sections above, you may also combine or
276
link a "work that uses the Library" with the Library to produce a
277
work containing portions of the Library, and distribute that work
278
under terms of your choice, provided that the terms permit
279
modification of the work for the customer's own use and reverse
280
engineering for debugging such modifications.
282
You must give prominent notice with each copy of the work that the
283
Library is used in it and that the Library and its use are covered by
284
this License. You must supply a copy of this License. If the work
285
during execution displays copyright notices, you must include the
286
copyright notice for the Library among them, as well as a reference
287
directing the user to the copy of this License. Also, you must do one
290
a) Accompany the work with the complete corresponding
291
machine-readable source code for the Library including whatever
292
changes were used in the work (which must be distributed under
293
Sections 1 and 2 above); and, if the work is an executable linked
294
with the Library, with the complete machine-readable "work that
295
uses the Library", as object code and/or source code, so that the
296
user can modify the Library and then relink to produce a modified
297
executable containing the modified Library. (It is understood
298
that the user who changes the contents of definitions files in the
299
Library will not necessarily be able to recompile the application
300
to use the modified definitions.)
302
b) Use a suitable shared library mechanism for linking with the
303
Library. A suitable mechanism is one that (1) uses at run time a
304
copy of the library already present on the user's computer system,
305
rather than copying library functions into the executable, and (2)
306
will operate properly with a modified version of the library, if
307
the user installs one, as long as the modified version is
308
interface-compatible with the version that the work was made with.
310
c) Accompany the work with a written offer, valid for at
311
least three years, to give the same user the materials
312
specified in Subsection 6a, above, for a charge no more
313
than the cost of performing this distribution.
315
d) If distribution of the work is made by offering access to copy
316
from a designated place, offer equivalent access to copy the above
317
specified materials from the same place.
319
e) Verify that the user has already received a copy of these
320
materials or that you have already sent this user a copy.
322
For an executable, the required form of the "work that uses the
323
Library" must include any data and utility programs needed for
324
reproducing the executable from it. However, as a special exception,
325
the materials to be distributed need not include anything that is
326
normally distributed (in either source or binary form) with the major
327
components (compiler, kernel, and so on) of the operating system on
328
which the executable runs, unless that component itself accompanies
331
It may happen that this requirement contradicts the license
332
restrictions of other proprietary libraries that do not normally
333
accompany the operating system. Such a contradiction means you cannot
334
use both them and the Library together in an executable that you
337
7. You may place library facilities that are a work based on the
338
Library side-by-side in a single library together with other library
339
facilities not covered by this License, and distribute such a combined
340
library, provided that the separate distribution of the work based on
341
the Library and of the other library facilities is otherwise
342
permitted, and provided that you do these two things:
344
a) Accompany the combined library with a copy of the same work
345
based on the Library, uncombined with any other library
346
facilities. This must be distributed under the terms of the
349
b) Give prominent notice with the combined library of the fact
350
that part of it is a work based on the Library, and explaining
351
where to find the accompanying uncombined form of the same work.
353
8. You may not copy, modify, sublicense, link with, or distribute
354
the Library except as expressly provided under this License. Any
355
attempt otherwise to copy, modify, sublicense, link with, or
356
distribute the Library is void, and will automatically terminate your
357
rights under this License. However, parties who have received copies,
358
or rights, from you under this License will not have their licenses
359
terminated so long as such parties remain in full compliance.
361
9. You are not required to accept this License, since you have not
362
signed it. However, nothing else grants you permission to modify or
363
distribute the Library or its derivative works. These actions are
364
prohibited by law if you do not accept this License. Therefore, by
365
modifying or distributing the Library (or any work based on the
366
Library), you indicate your acceptance of this License to do so, and
367
all its terms and conditions for copying, distributing or modifying
368
the Library or works based on it.
370
10. Each time you redistribute the Library (or any work based on the
371
Library), the recipient automatically receives a license from the
372
original licensor to copy, distribute, link with or modify the Library
373
subject to these terms and conditions. You may not impose any further
374
restrictions on the recipients' exercise of the rights granted herein.
375
You are not responsible for enforcing compliance by third parties with
378
11. If, as a consequence of a court judgment or allegation of patent
379
infringement or for any other reason (not limited to patent issues),
380
conditions are imposed on you (whether by court order, agreement or
381
otherwise) that contradict the conditions of this License, they do not
382
excuse you from the conditions of this License. If you cannot
383
distribute so as to satisfy simultaneously your obligations under this
384
License and any other pertinent obligations, then as a consequence you
385
may not distribute the Library at all. For example, if a patent
386
license would not permit royalty-free redistribution of the Library by
387
all those who receive copies directly or indirectly through you, then
388
the only way you could satisfy both it and this License would be to
389
refrain entirely from distribution of the Library.
391
If any portion of this section is held invalid or unenforceable under
392
any particular circumstance, the balance of the section is intended to
393
apply, and the section as a whole is intended to apply in other
396
It is not the purpose of this section to induce you to infringe any
397
patents or other property right claims or to contest validity of any
398
such claims; this section has the sole purpose of protecting the
399
integrity of the free software distribution system which is
400
implemented by public license practices. Many people have made
401
generous contributions to the wide range of software distributed
402
through that system in reliance on consistent application of that
403
system; it is up to the author/donor to decide if he or she is willing
404
to distribute software through any other system and a licensee cannot
407
This section is intended to make thoroughly clear what is believed to
408
be a consequence of the rest of this License.
410
12. If the distribution and/or use of the Library is restricted in
411
certain countries either by patents or by copyrighted interfaces, the
412
original copyright holder who places the Library under this License
413
may add an explicit geographical distribution limitation excluding those
414
countries, so that distribution is permitted only in or among
415
countries not thus excluded. In such case, this License incorporates
416
the limitation as if written in the body of this License.
418
13. The Free Software Foundation may publish revised and/or new
419
versions of the Lesser General Public License from time to time.
420
Such new versions will be similar in spirit to the present version,
421
but may differ in detail to address new problems or concerns.
423
Each version is given a distinguishing version number. If the Library
424
specifies a version number of this License which applies to it and
425
"any later version", you have the option of following the terms and
426
conditions either of that version or of any later version published by
427
the Free Software Foundation. If the Library does not specify a
428
license version number, you may choose any version ever published by
429
the Free Software Foundation.
431
14. If you wish to incorporate parts of the Library into other free
432
programs whose distribution conditions are incompatible with these,
433
write to the author to ask for permission. For software which is
434
copyrighted by the Free Software Foundation, write to the Free
435
Software Foundation; we sometimes make exceptions for this. Our
436
decision will be guided by the two goals of preserving the free status
437
of all derivatives of our free software and of promoting the sharing
438
and reuse of software generally.
442
15. BECAUSE THE LIBRARY IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE IS NO
443
WARRANTY FOR THE LIBRARY, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW.
444
EXCEPT WHEN OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR
445
OTHER PARTIES PROVIDE THE LIBRARY "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY
446
KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
447
IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
448
PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE
449
LIBRARY IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THE LIBRARY PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME
450
THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION.
452
16. IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN
453
WRITING WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY MODIFY
454
AND/OR REDISTRIBUTE THE LIBRARY AS PERMITTED ABOVE, BE LIABLE TO YOU
455
FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR
456
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE
457
LIBRARY (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA OR DATA BEING
458
RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY YOU OR THIRD PARTIES OR A
459
FAILURE OF THE LIBRARY TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER SOFTWARE), EVEN IF
460
SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
463
END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS
465
How to Apply These Terms to Your New Libraries
467
If you develop a new library, and you want it to be of the greatest
468
possible use to the public, we recommend making it free software that
469
everyone can redistribute and change. You can do so by permitting
470
redistribution under these terms (or, alternatively, under the terms
471
of the ordinary General Public License).
473
To apply these terms, attach the following notices to the library.
474
It is safest to attach them to the start of each source file to most
475
effectively convey the exclusion of warranty; and each file should
476
have at least the "copyright" line and a pointer to where the full
480
<one line to give the library's name and a brief idea of what it
482
Copyright (C) <year> <name of author>
484
This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
485
modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
486
License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
487
version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
489
This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
490
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
491
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
492
Lesser General Public License for more details.
494
You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
495
License along with this library; if not, write to the Free Software
496
Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA
498
Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper
501
You should also get your employer (if you work as a programmer) or
503
school, if any, to sign a "copyright disclaimer" for the library, if
504
necessary. Here is a sample; alter the names:
506
Yoyodyne, Inc., hereby disclaims all copyright interest in the
507
library `Frob' (a library for tweaking knobs) written by James
510
<signature of Ty Coon>, 1 April 1990
511
Ty Coon, President of Vice
513
That's all there is to it!
added
removed
libltdl/COPYING.LIB
